New Cuisines
The New Cuisines badge is part of the Legacy badge set introduced in 2011. Culinary possibilities are as diverse as the globe of people who cook them. Wherever you go in the world, a version of the pocket bread holds something delicious, and your sweet tooth can be satisfied with everything from date syrup to lingonberry jam. In this badge, cook up four dishes from across time and distance, and find out where your taste buds want to travel. When a Girl Scout Cadette has earned this badge, she will be able to make amazing dishes from all over the world and way back in time. Step 1: Make a dish from another country Thai food is often spiced with lemongrass and hot chilies. In Japan, some people breakfast on pickled-plum-stuffed rice balls or miso soup. Ethiopians often use a delicious flat bread to scoop up lentils or veggies. Expand your palate and your culinary repertoire by going international in this step—no passport needed. CHOICES – DO ONE: Cook something from an area of the world you’re curious about. Find a cook book with recipes from that pace and pick a dish that looks yummy. Or call a travel agency and ask for a favorite dish from the area. FOR MORE FUN: Let a world atlas fall open to a page or spin a globe and see where your finger lands, then cook a recipe from that place. OR Find a relative, friend, or neighbor who’s an immigrant. Ask that person for a personal recipe that represents their country of origin and cook it with them. OR Let a particular ingredient be your tour guide. Check out the international section of a grocery store or an international specialty store for an ingredient—a spice, a dried fruit, a canned good. Make a dish that uses that ingredient. When you find a recipe, ask yourself these questions: * Can I find the ingredients? Is there a good substitute for anything that’s hard to find? * Will I need special equipment? * How will I learn any specific cooking techniques? * Do I want to adjust any ingredients to better fit my approach to healthy living? That's From Where? Step 2: Create a dish from another region of the United States Southern barbecue, New England clam chowder, Tex-Mex tacos, Native American fry bread-this step will take you on a stateside road trip without leaving your kitchen. CHOICES – DO ONE: Puttogetheramealbasedonafood-relatednewsstory. Findastoryaboutanother region in the United States. It could be about shrimp fishing in Louisiana or apple orchards in Washington State. Use that story to inspire the dish you choose. FOR MORE FUN: Write a short piece on the dish, take a picture, and submit it and a recipe to a local newspaper from the area that inspired you. OR Research and cook a regional specialty that’s become a cultural phenomenon. The Toll House cookie was invented at the Toll House Inn in Boston. The Cobb salad came from a lucky accident with leftovers at the original Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood. OR Find out how well you know your region. Visit the local history center or library, or ask an elderly community member, for a recipe from your hometown that’s become a phenomenon (or needs your help to gain popularity!) Cook it. Did you match the local standard for phenomenal? Does it taste like you expected it to? Step 3: Whip up a dish from another time period Scour the past for a tasty dish, and cook up a piece of history. CHOICES – DO ONE: Tryarecipeinspiredbyahistoricalbookormovie. DidyoureadLittleHouseonthe Prairie and wonder what “headcheese” was? Or watch The Sound of Music and really want to try a Viennese pastry? FOR MORE FUN: Make up a recipe for a fantasy food from your favorite fantasy novel. OR Ask a grandparent or other relative for an old family recipe. Get their help to make it. What was your grandmother’s favorite pasta? Did your great-uncle love anything with tomatoes? Is there a favorite dish at every family gathering? Learn to make a recipe that’s been passed down in your family. OR Pick a piece of the past that excites you. Find a classic recipe from that time and place; it might be from the Renaissance, pirate lore, Juliette Low’s time, or the Wild West. Where and why was this recipe served? Maybe you can find out what it was supposed to taste like back then to know how your version compares. More to Explore Pretend you’re a Senior in 1963. Try this activity from the “Meal Preparing and Serving” project: Follow a “heritage trail” in your community to collect favorite recipes of older residents. Try some of the recipes you collect. Make a cookbook of your collection. Present it as a gift to those who helped you. Step 4: Cook a dish that makes a statement The food that’s on your plate sends a message—your choices about health; convenience, the environment, and religion all show up in what you choose to eat. CHOICES – DO ONE: Take a processed food you love and make a homemade version. It might be a packaged gingerbread, a cream-filled cupcake, or a ruffled potato chip. Compare your ingredients with the list on the package. Knowing where your food comes from can be a challenge, especially if the package has a list of chemical ingredients that seems 10 miles long! OR Choose a veggie protein and find a recipe that features it. How about tofu, tempeh, seitan, or beans and rice? Or look at how vegan creativity has sparked some delicious baked goods that substitute plant-based ingredients for dairy, eggs, and even honey. (Think dark chocolate chips, applesauce, soy milk, or black beans in your brownie mix!) FOR MORE FUN: Take your favorite cake or cookie recipe and make it vegan! OR Try a recipe for a special diet. Ask a friend, neighbor, or family member who follows a special nutritional plan or diet for a recipe. You might try a kosher kugel, gluten-free bread, or a raw-food feast (raw foodists eat only vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruits that have never been heated above 115°F). FOR MORE FUN: Take a favorite dish and make it fit a specific diet. What substitution would you make in a PB & J sandwich to feed someone who has a peanut allergy? Step 5: Share your dishes on a culinary "tour"! What’s the point of having newfound knowledge, especially in the cooking arena, if you’re going to keep it to yourself? Time to share! Get feedback, too—that’s how you keep on cooking. CHOICES – DO ONE: Throwapotluckparty! Pickoneofthethemesfromsteps1to4andaskgueststobring something that fits the bill. Or, your friends and Girl Scout sisters could throw a potluck, in which each person brings a favorite dish. FOR MORE FUN: As girls did in the 1980 Exploring Foods badge, add a tasting party to your potluck. Select two or three foods from each food group. Pick unusual foods so everyone gets to taste something they’ve never eaten before. OR Host a “new cuisine” party. Cook up the entire meal for your friends or your family. Create a menu for a feast based on one—or all—of the dishes you made in steps 1 to 4. OR Hold a progressive dinner with friends or your Girl Scout group. Have each person cook one part of the meal. Choose dishes you made for this badge or others from steps 1 to 4. Then go from home to home progressing through dinner, from appetizer all the way through dessert. More to EXPLORE: Use your progressive dinner to honor Girl Scout volunteers, moms or dads on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, or to celebrate something special. Category:Girl Scouts of the USA Category:Cadettes Category:Girl Scout Badge Category:Legacy Badges Category:Cook Badge